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Bruce Hornsby: Halcyon Days

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Columbia Records
Released: 2004.08.17
Time:
 55:25
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.brucehornsby.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Gonna Be Some Changes Made (B.Hornsby) - 5:17
[2] Candy Mountain Run (B.Hornsby) - 5:15
[3] Dreamland (B.Hornsby) - 5:05
[4] Circus on the Moon (B.Hornsby) - 6:32
[5] Halcyon Days (B.Hornsby) - 5:57
[6] What the Hell Happened (B.Hornsby) - 4:22
[7] Hooray for Tom (B.Hornsby) - 3:56
[8] Heir Gordon (B.Hornsby) - 4:24
[9] Mirror on the Wall (B.Hornsby) - 5:41
[10] Song F (B.Hornsby) - 4:12
[11] Lost in the Snow (B.Hornsby) - 5:07

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Bruce Hornsby - Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Audio Production, Mixing, Producer

Eric Clapton - Guitar on [1,2,5], Vocals on [2]
Sting - Vocals on [1,5]
Elton John - Vocals on [3]

J. V. Collier - Bass
Sonny Emory - Drums
Bobby Read - Clarinet
Doug Derryberry - Guitar
John "J.T." Thomas - Organ
R. S. Hornsby - Guitar
Lloyd Johns - Vocals
Wayne Pooley - Guitar, Audio Production, Engineer, Producer
Bonny Bonaparte - Percussion
James "Woody" Green - Background Vocals
Ralph Payne - Background Vocals
Donnie Struckey - Background Vocals

John Thomas - Orchestral Arrangements
Peter Harris - Orchestral Arrangements
Duoming Ba - Violin
Maryia Borozina - Violin
David Creswell - Viola
Karen Dreyfus - Viola
Elizabeth Dyson - Cello
Dawn Hannay - Viola
Jeanne Ingram - Violin
Vivek Kamath - Viola
Lisa Kim - Violin
Myung Hi Kim - Violin
Sarah Kim - Violin
Soohyun Kwon - Violin
Jeanne LeBlanc - Cello
Matthew Lehmann - Violin
Eileen Moon - Cello
Kurt Muroki - Bass
Ayano Ninomiya - Violin
Satoshi Okamoto - Bass
Suzanne Ornstein - Violin
Sandra Park - Violin
Sue Pray - Viola
Dan Reed - Violin
Robert Rinehart - Viola
Michael Roth - Violin
Laura Seaton - Violin
Sarah Seiver - Cello
Fiona Simon - Violin
Paul Woodiel - Violin
Sharon Yamada - Violin
Jung Sun Yoo - Violin

Alan Douglas - Engineer
Simon Climie - Engineer
Brian Garten - Engineer
Kevin Halpin - Engineer
Matt Still - Engineer
Dagle - Mixing
Tony Maserati - Mixing
Ted Jensen - Mastering
Lennie Meat - A&R
David Bett - Art Direction
Moonie Geiger - Production Coordination
Patti Oates Martin - Production Assistant
Sean Smith - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Three time Grammy Award winner Bruce Hornsby has released nine full-length albums that have sold more than 10 million combined! "Halcyon Days" debuts 11 new songs written by Hornsby, including the catchy first single "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" which was #1 most added at AAA the first week! Sting, Eric Clapton, & Elton John guest on the album.



Big Swing Face announced a new and improved Bruce Hornsby, one who wasn't afraid to "Try Anything Once." The lead track of Halcyon Days, "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" - subtly echoing "The Way It Is" in its piano work - continues this affirmation of progress. Too bad then that the rest of the album slowly works to erase this growth. Still, the first half of Halcyon Days, while much less ambitious than Big Swing Face, starts off promisingly enough. From the poppy "Changes" to the soothing title track, Hornsby delivers an agreeable, if overlong, set of songs. But the latter half quickly loses focus, stumbling with tracks like the attempted Randy Newman pastiche "What the Hell Happened?," the goofy "Heir Gordon" - which both succumb to Hornsby's latter-day proclivity for piano noodling - and "Song F," a seeming leftover from Spirit Trail. At his best, Hornsby is both an accomplished musician and a great storyteller, able to slip into the shoes of his characters, whether it's the lonely worker of "Every Little Kiss," the interracial couple in "Talk of the Town," or the strip-club doorman of "Walk in the Sun." But in many of Halcyon Days' songs, he often seems more interested in weird wordplay. What's missing is the sense of time and place, and the in-the-moment clarity that defines his classic songs. In its place is an off-putting cleverness. After the pleasant shock of Big Swing Face, Hornsby's follow-up is a strangely middling effort that won't win new fans or satiate the devoted. In its own restrained way, it's a bid for commercial airplay, with guest stars Elton John, Sting, and Eric Clapton all doing their part for the cause. But instead of the polished work it should be, Halcyon Days has the haphazard feel of a collection of outtakes and B-sides.

Skyler Miller - All Music Guide



Bruce Hornsby fans have their reasons for feeling defensive these days: Despite the stylistic virtuosity and his former gig as a Dead sideman, as a piano-playing, adult-aimed popster he's in danger of being lumped in with Norah Jones and her drowsy disciples. Which may be why he brought out the heavy hitters for Halcyon Days, his ninth album and one of his best. First single "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" leads the charge on a return-to-roots odyssey that reflects both a grown-up acceptance of the way it is circa 2004 and a keep-it-real, no-caving-to-artifice spirit. Sting pitches in on vocals, his voice at times blending with Hornsby's to take on a regular-guy likeability absent in his recent work, and backing the two up on guitar is Eric Clapton, who picks up the at-ease vibe and veers it in a Hornsby-eque, no-showoffs direction. And that's just the leadoff track. Deeper in, Sir Elton John wades gently into "Dreamland," defying parents to find a cooler, more of-the-moment lullaby, and Clapton returns twice more for lead guitar duties, picking up a vocal credit on "Candy Mountain Run". Hornsby is cashing in on high-profile favors here, and they will likely serve him well in scoring new listeners. But the loyal would have been satisfied without them: Courtesy of Hornsby's characteristic wit on tracks like "What the Hell Happened" and an un-stingy share of two-handed solo piano noticeably absent on his prior album, their own halcyon days have returned.

Tammy La Gorce - Amazon.com



Halcyon Days is the eighth studio album by American singer and pianist Bruce Hornsby. The album, recorded with his touring band the Noisemakers, was released in 2004. It was Hornsby's first release with Columbia Records. One song, "What The Hell Happened", has been described as a rare example of the use of bitonality in a pop piece. The album marked a return to a more acoustic, piano-driven sound that reviewers described as "pure Hornsby". Guests included Sting, Elton John and Eric Clapton. The tracks "Gonna Be Some Changes Made," "Candy Mountain Run," "Dreamland," and "Circus On The Moon" became concert staples, each showcasing the diversity of Hornsby's improvisations and the Noisemakers' live sound. Notably, Halcyon Days also includes a suite of solo piano songs—"What The Hell Happened," "Hooray For Tom," and "Heir Gordon"—which all have a "Randy Newman pastiche." Although the album was markedly less-risk-taking than Big Swing Face, it would be well-received as a "winning balance of [Hornsby's] tuneful and adventurous sides." "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" was used in several Lowe's commercials from 2006.

Wikipedia.org
 

 L y r i c s


GONNA BE SOME CHANGES MADE

Gonna be some changes made
Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be some
Gonna be some changes made

Man was a knife expert
Kind of a Jim Bowie type
Swaggerin', blusterin', 'coon skin
I said, "You're not serious, right?"

Then I saw him grab my friend by the hair
Well I guess I should have prayed
As he dragged him around, I said to myself
"There's gonna be some changes made"
(Gonna be some changes made)

Girl I knew and loved alone
For years from afar
With a finger to her lips
She led me out to see the stars
She led me down to the gritty lake
And in it we did wade
She took my hand and put it there
Gonna be some changes made

(Gonna be)
Gonna be some changes made
Gonna be some changes made

There's gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Gotta take it off, gotta get myself straight
(Changes made)

You're just our style, our kind of guy so pleased to have you
Now that you're here with us today
Can you play with this kazoo
I said well, alright, ok
As if I was afraid
I walked out in a daze, I said to myself
There's gonna be some changes made

(Changes made)
(Changes made)

Up in front for all to see
I'm graceful like a bumblin' fool
Then I thought I felt slip from my mouth a little drool
Maybe no one noticed it
On my mind heavily it weighed
I saw two people snickering
I said, "There needs to be some changes made"

(Snickering, snickering, snickering, snickering)
Changes made, gonna be some changes made
Gonna be some changes made

There's gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Gotta take it off gotta get myself straight

Thought I'd go and read some books
Appear to be smart
Maybe love would come my way
As a patron of the arts
I tried spouting Shakespeare on a mid-summer night's shade
The girl just yawned and I walked on

Gonna be some changes made
Gonna be some changes made

Going home, I've done enough
To sow my little name
Going where the fields are green
And I can do my macramé
A buffoon fumblin' without a clue
Who likes to shift the blame
And often feels betrayed

There's gonna be some changes made
There's gonna be some changes made

Gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Gotta take it off, gotta get myself straight

Gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Gotta take it off, gotta get myself straight
(Yeah gotta get myself straight)

Gonna be some changes made
Doo doo doo doo


CANDY MOUNTAIN RUN

Rollin' and a-tumblin'
Take me to the mountain
Fly closer to the sun
Wailin' and a-rumblin', I'm movin' not stumblin'
Come, come with me on my Candy Mountain
Candy Mountain run

Dropping lots of little ones from up high
Gumdrops, lemondrops rainin' from the sky
Come on riding close to the sun
Come on riding with me on my
Candy Mountain run

Rollin' and a-tumblin'
Take me to the mountain
Fly closer to the sun
Wailin' and a-rumblin', I'm movin' not stumblin'
Come, come with me on my Candy Mountain
Candy Mountain run

Movin' to the high ground, wish you could come
Maybe they'll let me drop the big one
All the little children hands up high
Waitin' for the sugar plums fallin' from the sky
Movin' to the high ground, to the sugar mine
Movin' to the secret so clandestine
World of fantasy wish you could come
Mama's little baby on a Candy Mountain run

Rollin' and a-tumblin', place me on the mountain
Fly closer to the sun
Wailin' and a-rumblin', my fantasy crumblin'
Come, come with me on my Candy Mountain
Candy Mountain run

Come on riding with me close to the sun
Mama keep telling me not to come
Used to be a mouse, now I can roar
Tomorrow I'll give myself a little bit more
Forget about tomorrow live for today
No guarantee I'll make it anyway
My special candy tastes good now
Every day I die a little, a little anyhow

Rollin' and a-tumblin'
Take me to the mountain
Fly closer to the sun
Wailin' and a-rumblin', I'm movin' not stumblin'
Come, come with me on my Candy Mountain
Candy Mountain run


DREAMLAND

Isn't this old night so nice
I hope you can feel what I feel tonight
Little boy's not getting it right
Trying so hard with all his might
Clouds in the sky keeping the sun away
Doesn't mean the sun isn't shining today
Seems something's always in your way
You've got a wide, wide array
Of insurmountable problems every day

Slip away, slide away
Into dreamland
Slip away, slide away
Into dream, dreamland

In your own private place of dreams
I hope you'll find a place where it seems
The road is always straight and true
Wherever you walk is bright for you
I hope you'll remember these times we share
Hope you'll find some comfort there
In the meantime lose your cares
You can go anywhere, close your eyes and it will take you there

Slip away, slide away
Into dreamland

Gonna cherish my time with you
Gonna smile, smile the whole world day through
Wake up tomorrow, maybe you'll find
Darkness gone from your mind
Want you to be what you want to be
Don't want you to ever hurt like me
Smiling through the saddest times
Could only happen in dreams
I wonder is it as nice as it seems

Slip away, slide away
Into dreamland

Maybe you'll get your wishes in dreams this night
Because I can't seem to do it here in real life

Maybe you'll get your wishes in dreams this night
Because I can't seem to help you here in real life


CIRCUS ON THE MOON

Hey out there, are you hearing my call
It's a cry for help but all you see
are these craters and these walls
I've erected in my room
I'd like you to see, I'm a performer with skills
Don't make fun of me with my whistles and my bullhorns and my bells
And I hope you'll see it soon
Getting 'bout as much attention as a circus on the moon

I'm here with the elephants, I'm cleaning up mess
I'm trying to be special, but to you
I'm just like all the rest
Look what they've got me doing
Got a high wire act I can show you my skills
Trapeze and a bar across my heart, across my ills
Escape through a trap door and I'll go on my way
Try as I do, I just can't connect anyway
Getting bout as much attention as a circus on the moon
Standing tall and lone in my circus on the moon

I'm a perfect little foil for the prognosticators of doom
I'll bet you in a minute they'll be searching my room
Watch out for the deluge I believe it's coming soon
And I'll bet you five bucks we'll see the stars come out at noon
You can bet all you got I'll get your attention soon
Getting 'bout as much attention as a circus on the moon

I'm a stalwart trapeze artist on my
(circus on the moon)
I'm a lonely tightrope walker in my
(circus on the moon)
An accomplished virtuoso in my (circus on the moon)
Waving at you sweetly from my
circus on the moon
Three million miles away I'm staring at you, staring at you
Waving at you sweetly from my
(circus on the moon)
Standing tall and lone in my circus on the moon
Three million miles away I'm staring at you in my circus on the moon


HALCYON DAYS

Bright light streaming in, through my window pane
Think I'll stare at the shapes it makes
on the floor and then stare again
You've got your curtains drawn,
anything I can do?
Maybe a rose or a pillow or a picture or a funny joke just for you
To carry you away
Let me bring you, some tokens of esteem
Close the door on the world, make it our own beautiful scene
There's a darkness visible, maybe only to me
Maybe just a dream, a time-slowing-down dream,
a hole you're sinking down deep
Comes loose at the seams, make the dream leave

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those convicting may be the guilitiest of all
Wash it all away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days

Feel a strong gravitational pull, holding you down
And the air feels thick, having a hard time
moving through, moving round
I'm hoping you may let me, help to pull you through
You're here so you might as well let me see
If I can do that for you
Carry you away
Feeling so helpless, mostly I'm a clown
Every now and then gotten so even
up can feel like down
In the hour of my reflection, I've had enough of disaffection
Like a starless sky, no light in our eyes
Maybe change this tonight, some brighter times, some lovely rhymes

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those in judgment could be guiltiest of all
Wash it away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days

Maybe just a dream, some ever-present dream, evanescent scenes
It could seem so for me, this is for me

Some rise by wrong
And some by virtue fall
And those in judgment could be guiltiest of all
Wash it away
I'd love to bring you, on a silver tray,
some halcyon days


WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED

Look at my mama
Look at my pop
Look at my brother
Making them little girls' jaws drop
Look at my sister
So beautiful to see
What the hell happened to me?

Got a big-ass nose
Fat gaps in my teeth
Hair coming out of my ears
And big old stinky feet
I swear the girl at the gate
just gagged when I gave her my I.D.
What the hell happened to me?

What the hell happened
I wish I knew
What the hell happened
Not so much I can do

Got Gable and Lombard
For a mom and a dad
Got a brother braggin'
'Bout all the ass he's had
Must've been stuck in the shallow end of the pool of genes
What the hell happened to me?

What the hell happened
I wish I knew
What the hell happened
Not so much I can do


HOORAY FOR TOM

Will it really help me to learn
About Frederick the Great and when Rome burned?
Wish they'd skip over me when it's my turn
All this useless information so I can talk way above my station
And I lost when I couldn't spell congratulations

Well, Hooray, Hooray for Tom
Who won the spelling bee
Spelled the difficult words so right
And now he's on TV
Oh Hooray, Hooray for Tom
He's up there for all to see
And I hope someday they'll say hooray for me

Teach me long division
So I can figure out baseball stats
Batting average, fielding percentage and all that
Well I learned more at home OK
Learned how to scrap, learned some funny things to say
And I lost when I spelled B-A-N-A-N-A-N-A

Well, Hooray, Hooray for Tom
Who won the spelling bee
Spelled the difficult words so right
And now he's on TV.
Hooray, Hooray for Tom
He's up there for all to see
And I hope someday they'll say hooray for me.

Hooray, Hooray for Tom
Who won the old spelling bee
Spelled the difficult words so right
Spelled the crepuscule so right
And now he's on TV.
Hooray, Hooray for Tom
He's up there for all to see
And I hope someday they'll say hooray
Hope someday they'll say hooray
Well I hope someday they'll say hooray for me


HEIR GORDON

There was a young man name Arthur Gordon
Heir to a large family fortune
Walking around all prissy and full of himself
Pissing money and showing his wealth

Built a little shrine to the Gordon name
Hyped it from his front-row seat at all the games
Opened a restaurant and called it guess what?
Arthur's, of course, he did strut his stuff

Heir Gordon
Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee
Heir, Heir Gordon
His life sure looks good to me

Got a little brylcreem, a dab will do
Droppin' funny acid, a tab or two
Wearing undergarments from a Mormom friend
Touching all the bases 'round the Cub Scout den

Heir Gordon
Got a lot of money but he ain't worth a damn
Heir, Heir Gordon
Makes me feel just like a man

Why's he doing all these things for me


MIRROR ON THE WALL

I'd like to try throwing the I-Ching
I'd like to try some analyzing my writing
I'd like what's written on the crystal stones
And see what happens if I put on my turban and start throwing bones, hey!

Maybe I'll be a gofer, getting bagels for the UN
Maybe I'll cruise bars in futile search of perfect tens
And maybe I'll be the legendary scandal-ridden pol
Keeping up my solid citizen front when I'm really just bought and sold

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Palm readings and crystal balls
It's obvious for all to see
How uncertain it will be

And hand-writing and dice rolls
I-Ching and crystal stones
And tea leaves and astrology
Get someone to interpret your dreams
Still I don't know where we'll be
Will you take this ride with me

Maybe I'll be a doctor, ophthalmologist checking out eyes
Maybe I'll get a job making little skinny curly fries
I might feel important as a security guard
And I'd love to lean on you when times get too hard, hey!

Maybe I'll be the overweight ex-jock chasing skirts
Tell 'em my old stories, you know the older you get the better you were
You can be my right hand, tell me when I'm a joke
And maybe they'll be some times when we feel like we're not just blowing smoke

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Palm readings and crystal balls
It's obvious for all to see
How uncertain it will be

And hand-writing and dice rolls
I-Ching and crystal stones
And tea leaves and astrology
Get someone to interpret your dreams
Still I don't know where we'll be
Will you take this ride with me?

Maybe I'll invent the nuclear magnetic resonance stomp
Or create a synthetic hue for you
Or make chemical breakthroughs
Take a map of the genome and get directions to a friend
And develop a crumb, crisp coating for a new cake and ice cream blend, hey!

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Palm readings and crystal balls
It's obvious for all to see
How uncertain it will be

Fortune tellers and mirrored walls
Tarot cards and Ouija boards
And tea leaves and astrology
Why don't you come and play with me?
Still I'll wonder where we'll be
Will you take this ride...
Will you take this ride with me?

With me...


LOST IN THE SNOW

Come on kids y'all come with me
Let's go looking for a Christmas tree
Across the river and through the woods
I've got my axe and it works real good

Such a strong boy, good hiker too
Eight years old, could arm-wrestle you
Fast as a horse and slick as a snake
We'll make it snappy won't be late

In the dimming light
On frozen ground I lay so helpless
No one else in sight
I'm so sure I just won't last much longer

Lost in the snow didn't know where to go
Don't know how to cook or how to sew
Maybe I'll make friends with the deer, who knows
They have problems too with this snow

In the dimming light
On frozen ground I lay so helpless
No one else in sight
I'm so sure I just won't last much longer

Got separated don't know how
They went straight and I went around
Thought we'd meet up by that ravine
I'm hoping this is where I was last seen

In the dimming light
On frozen ground I lay so helpless
No one else in sight
I'm so scared I just won't last much longer

Slogging through the snow waist deep
Digging, reaching, looking for me
Give your own a strong love
Compliments and great big hugs
Some thins always so hard to say
Pride and ego get in the way
With a little boy lost in the woods you see
Wish my mama would come find me

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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